The brick-colored tavern was filled with the smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and roasting meat. The brick-colored bar was filled with the smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and roasting meat.
　It was a little better than a cheap bar, but it had an atmosphere of dignity and pride.

Hey, Malcolm, you should come over here.
"Sorry, I'm on sentry duty. Sorry, I'm on sentry duty. I'll have a drink to warm myself up and then I'll be off.

　Declining the invitation of an acquaintance who happened to be there, Malcolm took a seat at the counter facing the wall.

　Malcolm Stride was a knight of Noa Curio. He is a knight of Noah's Curio, the same system that grants knighthoods to professional soldiers from the commonwealth. He is currently a member of the Transportation Corps, a unit that handles logistics.
　The Transportation Corps' job is to support the troops going to the front. The Transportation Corps is often misunderstood as an easy job, but the job of transporting, buying, and escorting supplies at the risk of one's life is not an easy one.
　Even now, Malcolm's troops are just resting after bringing in supplies from Wesara, and it's not my lucky day to have to stand guard at a time like this. I thought that the Transportation Corps wouldn't have to help since the front line troops stationed in the city would be manning the sentry anyway, but I heard that doing so would hurt someone's reputation somewhere.
　This is where the knight comes in handy. The knight is sent out as a field supervisor, because he thinks that it would be unwise to let the conscripts do the work alone.

　On top of that, something troublesome was happening right now.
　For some reason, the purchase of supplies suddenly went awry. ...... Someone is buying up all the food and fodder.
　Thanks to this, the Transportation Corps commander is on edge and the atmosphere in the corps is bad. The Transportation Corps has been forced to go around the countryside to buy food, and the workload for the entire Corps has increased. Moreover, in the long run, we are losing ground.
　There is no shortage of reasons to sigh.

　Malcolm arranges for himself a cup of sake in a ceramic bowl, a huge piece of roasted meat on the bone, and a loaf of crappy bread that will only make him hungry. He was just about to reach out to devour it quickly.

"Can I sit next to you?　Noah Curio soldier.

　A girl glided through the crowded store and came to stand next to Malcolm.

　A girl about her age, with a flamboyant, buoyant air.
　Her long, honey-colored hair glistened in the warm light.

　She was wearing a light armor made of some kind of leather. New recruits, no matter how splendid their armor, look as if they are clothed in it, but her figure was regal, and she did not look like just a weak girl. At the very least, she was the kind of person who wouldn't mind coming to a tavern like this alone.

"Are you an adventurer, young lady?
"Yes. Well, you can tell if I'm dressed like this. Cheers.

　The girl takes the liberty of smashing the cup she brought into Malcolm's cup.

Sounds like you've been working hard.
"Actually, I'm working now. I'm actually going to work now. I'll be on guard duty all night.
Wow. I've got to warm up then. Give me two servings of fire-breathing soup, please!

　As expected, Malcolm panics when the girl pulls out her wallet and orders.

Malcolm panicked. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you going to buy me a drink?
"No, no, no. It's okay. I make enough money to buy a bowl of soup on a whim for a soldier I meet by chance. You've got to try their 'fire-breathing soup'.

　The girl didn't seem to mind.
　If it had been a stranger, Malcolm might have been suspicious, but when it was a younger, pretty girl, he could not help but feel suspicious, which was the sadness of men.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have a meal with you then.

　--"I'm sorry, but I'll have a meal with you.

If you want, you can tell me about your work. ...... Oh, sure, as much as you can tell me. The military has a lot of secrets.

　The girl smiled good-naturedly and poked the table with her fingertips three times, twice, as if playing with her hands.

　The same time.

　At the same time, in an alleyway near the tavern.

　Panira (Rene), who was holding a caller ID to her ear while munching on a dried meat sandwich (which she had begged Tracy for money to buy), noticed the signal from Tracy.

　Panira (Rene)'s ability to sense emotions is now completely within a 30 meter radius. She knows where people are. Putting her under such awareness is equivalent to locking her on as a target for magic.
　I could tell from the tapping of his fingers that the person talking to Tracy was the person to his right. Once you know that, all you have to do is aim and shoot with magic. It's that simple.

...... "Truth Serum

　I can't believe it.

"Princess, that's not good.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'd like to know what you think.

I'm not sure what to do. From where the supplies were collected to the current management system.

　Tracy cracked open the Transportation Corpsman's mouth and extracted information from him.
　In doing so, Panilla (Rene) assisted her by using remote magic. It was a mental magic called "Truth Serum" that made the other party lose their judgment and only answer the questions asked.

　It is important not only to extract information but also to avoid suspicion. It is not good if the fact that you have extracted information remains in your memory.
　Malcolm, who was under the influence of magic, would have only an impression-like memory of 'having a nice chat with a girl he met by chance'.



　Tracy looked terrified of Panira's magic, but Panira didn't think she could do it alone.

It's not all my fault. It's not all about my power, either. Mind-altering magic tends to leave after-effects, so keep it to weak magic that doesn't leave traces. ...... The rest is a matter of interrogation techniques.
I know. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
I learned it a long time ago.

　I learned it a long time ago.
　Rene thought he was very lucky to have picked him up. He's even better than I thought.
　I'm good at going in head-on and killing people, but when it comes to attacking from the rear, it's more about skill than strength.

I'll report the results to the witch.
　I'll report the results to the witch. The remaining investigation is on the identity of the "tentative name" of the Holy Beast Master. ...... This one is not so much a secret as it is simply not known. I'm not sure what to make of it.
I wonder who he is. ......

　Panira (Rene) recalls the strange emotional reaction she had when she encountered the mysterious old woman in white, Morgana.
　She had said some very insulting things, but at that moment Morgana's mind was in a state of incomprehensible calm, as if it had been painted over with cheap white paint.
　It was completely different from Lawrence's hatred, which was like a frozen sludge.
　What could make a man's heart do that?

　--Well, there's no point in thinking about it. What I'm more interested in is what she's capable of and how to get rid of her.

I'm going back to the orphanage for dinner soon.
"Okay, take care.

　Hearing these unexpected words, Panira (Rene) stopped in her tracks.
　Even though it was a standard greeting, Tracy's heart was in the right place when she said it. 　

...... I never thought I'd hear a word of concern from you.

　It was unexpected.
　Tracy had been captured by force and tied up with a magic item to be obeyed.
　I would have thought that she would have a grudge against him, and that she wouldn't be worried about him.

　Tracy scratches her honey-colored head, looking a little uncomfortable.

You have no right to be concerned. But when you're dealing with a beautiful boy or girl enemy, it's a different story.
　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.
It's not my enemy even if it is. It's like a pebble on the ground as you walk by.

　I know what Tracy is worried about. If it was for a normal girl, it would be a reasonable concern, but Panira (Rene) is not normal by any stretch of the imagination.
　A pervert who is a priest and can't even use sacred magic is no threat to her.

"If you get in my way, I'll just kick you out.